Apparatus for and process of making spring cushion frames



. 1932- R. s. JONES I 1,870,364

"MIMI APPARATUS FOR AND PROCESS OF MAKING SPRING CUSHION FRAMES Filed March 2, 1931 INVENTOR.

' Ror 5. Jams-s.

ATTORNEY).

Patented Aug. 9, 1932 PATENT QFFLEQ ROY S. JONES, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO BARBER MANUFACTURING COM- PANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION APPARATUS FOR. AN D PROCESS OF MAKING SPRING CUSHION FRAMES Application filed March 2,

This invention relates to the process of and apparatus for rapidly nesting and looking a bar and the like, known as the border wire in and to the end of an open tube or corrugated transverse support member of a spring cushion frame construction.

The chief object of this invention is to rapidly nest and lock said border wire or bar in and to said support member of a spring cushion frame with a minimum amount of handling of the frame and a maximum rapidity of operation.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the utilization of a die which has a suitable conformation for engaging on one stroke the bar or border wire and simultaneously forming a groove in the support member and nesting the bar or border wire therein by such movement, said border wire or bar forming a portion of the groove-forming means; then, after turning inwardly the free end of the support member, utilizing the same die upon the second stroke for locking the bar or borderwire and the support member together.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and. claims:

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front view of a portion of a machine exemplifying mechanism suitable for the process. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such a machine. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows,

and illustrates portions of the machine in operative position following the completion of the first stroke of the die mechanism and immediately prior to the second and final stroke thereof. Fig. at is a bottom plan view of one of the support members included in a spring cushion frame and illustrates the same after the first or preliminary step has been performed thereon. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same showing the support member and bar with the groove formed in the former and the latter nested in the groove. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the neXt step in the process and corresponds to the position of the parts as illustrated in Figure 3. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bar nest- 1931. Serial No. 519,374.

ingly and lockingly associated with the end of the support member. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figure 4 and of a modified form of support member.

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 99 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows, the dotted lines indicating the position before flattening.

In the formation of a spring cushion frame there is incorporated at least two, and usually three or four, metal straps known as support members which extend parallel to each other and. which are suitably associated with a bar or the like commonly known as a border wire. The aforesaid forms the base and the outlining framework of a spring cushion frame construction.

In Figure 4 the support member includes a longitudinal central depression 10 which, since Figure 1 is a view of the bottom thereof, appears as an elevation therein. The edges of the strap are turned inwardly as at 11. There is thus formed a longitudinally corrugated open tube type strap with inturned edges which, it will be apparent, impart great strength and rigidity to the support member which would not be obtainable by the employ ment of a similar amount of metal arranged in straight or flat formation. Each support member, at its free end where it is tobe anchored to a border wire, is first flattened as at 12, see Fig. 4- and the same substantially removes the major portion of the longitudinal corrugation but does not entirely remove the same, see 9. In the same operation, the inturned edges 11 are likewise flattened as at 13 and the longitudinal corrugation projects upwardly into the space between the inturned ends and the whole constitutes a flattened, reenforced, free-end construction.

Each support is positioned in place in the machine and immediately thereabove is positioned the border wire or bar, herein indicated by the numeral 14. Upon the initial portion of the first stroke of the machine, one of the movable dies bears upon the bar 14, forces the same downwardly and transversely of the support member to form a groove 15 adjacent the free edge thereof and in the flat-, tened portion, leaving the free end 16 exmil tending upwardly and with the upper surface of the bar substantially level with the top of the corrugated strap or support member. After this groove-forming and barsinking operation, the free end 16 is turned rearwardly upon itself and partially overlies the bar. Upon the second stroke of the movable die member, the die initially engages the free edge 17 of the free end and, by reason of the curvature of the die, which is such as to substantially conform to the conformation of the bar or border wire, this free edge slips in the die and continued movement of the die toward the border wire causes the free edge to curl around the border wire and, upon final completion of the die movement, the end 16 completely overlies the border wire or bar and nestingly locks the border wire in the depending groove previously formed therein by the aid of the die and the border wire cooperating together. This formation is clea-rly illustrated in Figure 7.

As shown in Figure 4, the support member has rearwardlyand outwardly-tapered portions 18. Said portions, however, may not be thus formed but the support member may be cut straight across as shown in Figure 8 wherein 118 indicates the straight edge portion and all the other similar portions are indicated by numerals of the 100 series.

The support member shown in Figure 8 is handled in substantially the same manner as that shown in Figure 1, and, so far as the process and machinery is concerned, no change is required.

Since the process is arranged to include the use of one of the members as a portion of one of the dies in a portion of the operation, the same member may be subsequently utilized for another portion of the operation as hereinbefore set forth, thereby requiring the operator merely to position the two parts to be united together in the initial position to thereb y obtain the nesting and locking without the movement of the parts from one machine to another, thereby eliminating a time loss in v labor of one removal of the parts from a machine and one initial positioning thereof and an inherent time lag required to operate a second machine,so that the machine of the present invention performs the functions of two machines successively and the speed of operation has been so highly advanced that 7 by actual count not less than eightv thousand connections of the support member to the bar have been obtained in a nine-hour day, and, if four support members were included in a spring cushion frame suitable for one of a series of davenport cushions or a Cogswell chair cushion, there has been produced by this process approximately one .thousand spring cushion frames with the entire border wire attached to the support member in one working day of nine hours by one operator. The rapidity of operation is so fast that the eye can hardly follow the nesting, inturning of the free end and the final locking, even though a double stroke of one of the forming members,to wit: one of the moving dies, takes place.

It will be apparent from the aforesaid also that, since the same movable die member is utilized in the operation, if the operator is not quick enough to remove the previously completed connection, the aforesaid movable die will merely perform an idle stroke. Also, should the parts be shifted between the sinking and the final locking and an imperfect locking be obtained, the operator merely permits the movable die to repeat one cycle and thus obtain a firm locking of the bar to the support member. 7

There is herein illustrated, and will now be briefly described, mechanism by which the aforesaid process is practiced and the same constitutes means for the exemplification of the process.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, 30 indicates the base of a machine, 31 indicates the upright portion of the main support. Suitably supported thereby, as by the bracket 32, is a motor 33, which, by silent chain, belt, or other means 34, drives a power wheel 35 rotatabiy mounted on the shaft 36. The wheel 35 includes a clutch 37. The shaft 36 supports an axially slidable clutch construction 38 which is herein conventionally illustrated as including an annular groove 39 in which rides the yoke 4L0 of a bell crank shifter etl pivotally supported at 42 in a bracket 43 carried by the main support 31 of the machine. A rod 4&1 is connected to one arm of the bell crank yoke shifter and at its lower end is connected as at 45 to the pivotallysupported foot treadle 16 having the foot engageable portion 47 and which is normally constrained toward clutch-disengaging position as by the spring 48. As long as the operator maintains pressure upon the portion 47, the clutch 38 will remain in engagement with clutch 37 and secure rotation of shaft 36 by the wheel 35. There is also provided a brake drum 19 mounted upon the shaft 36 and associated therewith is a brake'strap or band 50 adjustably anchored as at 51 to a support member 52 also carried by the main support portion 31 of the machine. This Proney brake construction constitutes a brake mechanism for quickly stopping the machine when the clutch is released.

Pivotally supported as at 53,through an elongated slot construction 54 in a bracket 55 carried by the main support member 31 V of the machine, is an actuating bar 56 which is pivotally connected at its lower end as at 57 to the stem 58 of a die member 59 having its forward and underface tapered or relieved as at 60 and said de member 59 is slidably mounted in the slot or passageway 61 formed in the machine body portion 31.

A spring 62 normally retains. the die memthe rearward movement thereof if and when required, there is provided an adjustable stop- 63 carried by bracket 6 1 also'carried by the main portion of the machine 31. The shaft 36 adjustably mounts as at 65 a cylindrical collar 66, on the vertical face of which is a cam 67 having an inclined face 68 which terminatesin a flat radial face 69. In the rotation of shaft 36 the inch: ed face engages the upper end 70 of the lever 56 and forces the lever clockwise about the pivot 53 until the member 56 is released at the portion 69 of said cam collar. The movement of the lever 56 by the aforesaid cam projects the die member 59 outwardly through the slot 61. The spring 62, upon release of said member from the elevated portion of the cam as at 69, retracts the plunger die 59 and maintains the same retracted. The stop 63 pr vents the member 56 from riding the cylindrical flat face of the collar 66. To permit of the reciprocatory movement of the plunger die 59 within the limited confines of the slot 61 by the tilting movement of the lever, the pin and elongated slot pivotal support construction 535-lis provided, or

any other equivalent compensating arrange ment may be included, such as a substitute connection at the pivotal connection 57.

The shaft 36 is rotatably supported in the upper portion of the main frame 31 of the machine as at 1 1 and projects beyond the same as at 72. The projecting end 72 of said shaft 36 mounts an eccentric 73 in turn mounting another eccentric T4. The two eccentrics are provided for adjustment and constitute an adjustable eccentric construc tion. The eccentric arm 7 5 is supported by the strap construction 76 and said arm is pivotally supported upon the pin or pivot 77 of the cross-head 78 slidably supported in the guides 79. The cross-head 78 is vertically rcciprocable by the eccentric mounted on the shaft 36 so that for each rotation of the wheel 35 the cross-head is reciprocated once; to wit, up and down, and the plunger die is reciprocated to and fro once. The cross-head 78 detachably supports a male die member 80. The main frame member 31 includes an offset portion 82 which detachably supportsa female die member 83.

The male die member includes a fiat face 8 a depending projecting portion 85 terminating in an arcuately or longitudinally curved groovefaced portion 36 and adjacent thereto is a recess portion 37. The female die member 83 includes a l ngitudinal groove portion 88, the projecting por tion 87 being positioned immediately above the same and the upper face of the female die 83 terminates in substantial alignment with the slot 61.

The flattened portion 12-13, see Figure 4, is applied in reversed relation to and laid upon the upper portion of the female die with the edge 17 terminating against the face of the main frame 31. The bar 14 is introduced laterally into the opening of the two superposed die members and the bar 14 bears against two spaced stops shown only in Figure 1 and indicated by the numeral 100 therein and said stops are omitted in Figures 2 and 3 because of interference in the 1 clear illustration of the invention. Thus the two members to be locked together are each positioned in predetermined positions and the operator then actuates treadle 7 which throws the clutch into engagement and the die is moved downwardly and engages the upper longitudinal edge of the bar or wire 1% and forces said wire downwardly into the groove 88 and with it is forced the flattened portions 12 and 13 adjacent the end and separated a sufiicient distance relative to die 83,-the cam 67 comes into operation against lever 56 and this projects the inturning plunger die 59 into the position shown in Figure 3 which turns the free end 16 of the flattened portion of the support member inwardly. A second reciprocation of crosshead 78 causes the die 80 to descend and the free edge 17 of the free end 16 of the support member engages in the curved portion 86 of the projection and forces the free end 16 to encircle the bar or wire 14 and thereby lock the two together in nested relation. The cycle is completed by the reciprocation or projection of the plunger die 59 into the position shown in Figure 3. After the united members have been removed from the die 83, plunger die 59 has no further function. As soon as the die 80 has descended the second time in the cycle of operation, the operator releases treadle 17 and the brake forthwith stops the rotation of shaft 36.

The three die members shown in Figure 3 constitute the gist of the invention and may be variously actuated by various means but in the timed relation hereinbefore set forth all without departing from the broader features of this invention since the specific form of die-operating mechanism is set forth by way of exemplilication of a process.

The invention claimed is:

1. The process of rapidly nesting and looking a bar and the like in and to the end of an open tube, corrugated and transversely positioned support member, consisting of simultaneously flattening inwardly the tube forming sides of the end of the member and the corrugation in the member and into nested and flattened relation, forcing a bar or the like transversely of and into the flattened end for bending the same into a transverse groove to nest the bar in the groove formed thereby, turning rearwardly over the bar the free and upwardly-extending end of the member, and then forcing the inturned rearwardly-directed end of the member into enfolding relation relative to the bar for locking the bar to the member.

2. Apparatus of the character described including a die member having a longitudinal recess therein and a lateral bearing surface, another die member having a projecting portion for registration with recess, said portion having an article engaging surface of a conformation to receive the article, one die member being movable toward and away from the other, and a laterally movable die member movable into partial registration with the recess when the other members are appreciably spaced apart.

3. A device as defined by claim 2 characterized by the lateral bearing surface extendin oppositely from the recess for an apprecia ble distance, and the projection supporting die member including an article receiving recess adjacent the projecting portion for receiving a portion of the article.

4. Apparatus of the character defined by claim 2 characterized by the multiple reciprocation of the first-mentioned movable die member for successive grooving and locking.

5. Apparatus of the character defined by claim 2 characterized by multiple reciprocation of the laterally movable die for successive turning and ejecting.

6. Apparatus of the character defined by claim 2 characterized by the multiple reciprocation of the first-mentioned movable die member for successive grooving and locking and by the multiple reciprocation of the laterally movable die for successive turning and ejecting.

7. The process of rapidly nesting and locking a bar and the like in and to the flat end of a stationarily mounted corrugated support member, consisting of forcing a bar or the like transversely of and into the flat and free end for bending the end into a transverse groove to nest the bar in the groove formed thereby, turning rearwardly over the bar the free and laterally-extending end of the member and without further bar movement, and then forcing the inturned rearwardly directed end of the member into enfolding relation relative to the then station ary bar for locking the bar to the member.

8. The process of rapidly looking a bar and the likein and to the end of an open tube, transversely positioned support mem- In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ROY S. JONES. 

